This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 1/22/2010
Presented next for bidding consideration is an utterly spectacular example of sweet-swinging Eddie Mathews' 1952 Topps high-number rookie issue, the famous final card of the groundbreaking 1952 Topps set. Conservatively graded SGC 84 NM 7, the offered miracle of preservation showcases one of the most magnificent images we've ever seen on the issue, highlighted by such precise and pixel-perfect registration that it leaves the admiring enthusiast reeling in the wake of its incredibly accurate and life-like details. Magnificently saturated and perfectly preserved colors dominate both surfaces, as evidenced by the impressively thorough black ink outline on the obverse and the intensely saturated red name plate on back. Equally as impressive as both the image registration and color saturation is the nearly immaculate state of the obverse image, which truly appears perfect but for a hardly discernable spot of extraneous print in the extreme lower right field, just above the right side of the nameplate and on the border of Eddie's neck and collar. NM/MT or better bottom corners combine with marginally inferior NM+ top points to join a stalwart NM/MT perimeter. Why then the harsh opinion of NM from SGC? A small surface dimple in the blue background just left of Eddie's lips downgrades what would otherwise be a legitimate candidate for NM/MT consideration to NM, presenting interested bidders with the unique opportunity to acquire one of the most presentable 1952 Topps Eddie Mathews rookie cards we've ever offered at a true bargain of a price. For newcomers to the hobby who may be wondering why this card commands so much attention, bear in mind the following: Like the famous 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle high-number, it is one of just a few thousand high-number examples (cards #311-407) to escape a watery tomb in the Atlantic Ocean when Topps decided to dump its excess 1952 product (because they issued the final 1952 series too late in the fall to sell). It is also the last card of the set, meaning that the few examples that did make it off store shelves often suffered various forms of abuse as the very last card stacked in a pile with others, banded or tied together and cramped into storage. Finally, it is a Hall of Fame rookie issue of just the seventh player in MLB history to ever hit 500 home runs. In total, less than 500 examples have ever surfaced at both SGC and PSA combined, and the offered gem ranks at least among the top 53 of those 500 graded, and probably much higher than that. A stunning and truly high-end hobby masterpiece worthy of your utmost consideration!